In Regency London, an unconventional scientist and a fearless female artist form an unlikely alliance to expose unspeakable evil . . .
The Earl of Wrexford possesses a brilliant scientific mind, but boredom and pride lead him to reckless behavior. He does not suffer fools gladly. So when pompous, pious Reverend Josiah Holworthy publicly condemns him for debauchery, Wrexford unsheathes his rapier-sharp wit and strikes back. As their war of words escalates, London’s most popular satirical cartoonist, A.J. Quill, skewers them both. But then the clergyman is found slain in a church—his face burned by chemicals, his throat slashed ear to ear—and Wrexford finds himself the chief suspect.

First Line

A flicker of weak light skittered over the stone floor, followed by the soft scrape of steps and the whispered whoosh, whoosh of mist-dampened wool.

Here is what I thought

I have really been enjoying historical mysteries and this one was a lot of fun! This was my first novel by this author but it won’t be the last.

Charlotte makes her living poking fun at the wealthy and one of those is Lord Wexford. She has depicted his many miss deeds so accurately he wonders where the writer gets the information. Lord Wexford has a long running argument with a local reverend and when he ends up dead Lord Wexford is one suspected of the deed.

Lord Wexford can’t believe it when the writer A.J. Quill has the murder scene so detailed and has his valet (who is really more than just a valet) look into finding who the person it. He never expected him to be a her.

Lord Wexford really doesn’t want to involve Charlotte but she is determined to help him figure out who the killer is and soon another person is killed and it seems to all point towards a secret society and alchemy science. Charlotte also learns that it could also help he finally understand what happened to her husband.

Murder on Black Swan Lane is a really great mystery with a lot of great characters. I love Charlotte as she took up the pen name her husband used and kept making the satirical pictures for the newspaper after he died. She also tries to take care of two young boys who live on the street and they help her gather information for her drawings. They really cracked me up I love those two kids and they really make the book. I also love the banter between Lord Wexford and Charlotte as she doesn’t cower to him just because he is a Lord.

I can’t wait for the next installment!

Recommend if you like

Historical mysteries, witty banter and great characters

Author Bio

Andrea Penrose is a pseudonym for an author who has also written as Cara Elliott for Grand Central and Andrea Pickens for NAL. Her historical mysteries and romantic novels are set in Regency England, an era that has fascinated her ever since she picked up a copy of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

A graduate of Yale, she has won numerous writing awards, including two Daphne Du Maurier Awards for historical mystery, the Golden Leaf, and she’s been a three-time finalist for the prestigious RITA Award. Her books have been translated into nine different languages.

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